Day 7 of Talks Yields No Progress On North Korea's Nuclear Effort

By JIM YARDLEY

Published: August 2, 2005

Negotiators meeting Monday for the seventh consecutive day about the North Korean nuclear program reported no progress as the six participating nations struggled to draft a joint statement of principles that would push the disarmament process forward.

Christopher R. Hill, the lead American negotiator, arrived at his hotel late Monday after a day in which his delegation held private talks with the North Koreans and representatives of the other four nations.

''I wish I could report more progress, but it has been a long day without a lot of progress to report,'' Mr. Hill said. ''I don't see any breakthrough on the immediate horizon.''

Mr. Hill, who has been generally upbeat in his public appearances, seemed weary and in his most pessimistic mood to date, as reporters encircled him in the lobby of his hotel. He said ''major differences'' remained between North Korea and the other five nations, though he provided no specifics. He also suggested that the North Koreans had been difficult to pin down.

''There have been times when we thought some elements were resolved, only to have them pop up again,'' he said.

The urgency of addressing North Korea's nuclear program has intensified since February, when the isolated Communist country declared itself a nuclear power. The United States wants North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program, but the two sides disagree on what sort of rewards North Korea should receive for doing so and when it should receive them. There are a host of other major issues, including North Korea's insistence that it be allowed to develop a peaceful nuclear program if it abandons nuclear weapons.

Taking part in the talks are Russia, China, the United States, South Korea, Japan and North Korea.

Over the weekend, the six nations started deliberating on a draft joint statement circulated by the host nation, China, and there was speculation that this fourth round of talks might be nearing an end. But participants are now reviewing a second draft from the Chinese, and any resolution seems far less certain.

''I can't say there was much progress,'' said Akitaki Saiki, the deputy chief of the Japanese delegation. ''We will continue to draft.''

Asked how far the six nations were from reaching an agreement, he held his hands apart a foot or so. ''The difference is like this,'' he said.

Mr. Saiki and the other deputies have been deeply involved in the negotiations over the precise language of any joint statement. His South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae Yong, said of the talks, ''Some issues have been sorted out, but many remain.''

On Sunday, North Korea repeated a pledge to rejoin an international nuclear nonproliferation treaty and to permit visits by international inspectors, but only if the United States and the other participants provide security guarantees and aid and meet certain other conditions.